Kontan’s Place

Not really what one would call a NASCAR fan, but I have kept up with NASCAR news this week. So
in honor of Jem, who is enjoying the thrills of Daytona…my NASCAR post

It’s been an interesting week in preDaytona qualifying. Penalties have been issued left and right. Some say NASCAR is going over the top others say they aren’t going far enough. I read a story today discussing the punishments being handed out and referred to the sport as one where cheating was common. I don’t think that is the case. I think teams push the limits and operate in the gray area, but it isn’t like steroid abuse in baseball. In NASCAR there is just more gray area to operate in. This years Daytona 500 has found several teams moving well into the red zone and NASCAR is not going to take it.

Larry McReynolds responds on FoxSports:

Larry McReynolds: In one part of my mind, I wondered why all three Evernham cars and the No. 17 car would risk penalties when they were locked in the race. The tweaks to their cars probably weren’t going to put them on the pole anyway. Was it really worth it? Gary Nelson, Cup competition director in the early 1990’s, used to tell me, “Larry, always remember to weigh the risk vs. the reward.”

While I question their actions, I pushed the envelope, clawed , fought and went after anything that I thought may make my race car a little bit better. Kenny Francis with the No. 9, Robbie Reiser with the No. 17, Rodney Childers with the No. 10 and Josh Browne with the No. 19 were doing their jobs, trying to make sure they dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” to make their cars as fast as they could in qualifying.

The No. 9 and No. 17 were trying to take air out from underneath the car through the oil tank boxlid as well as underneath the right rear wheel well. The No. 10 and the No. 19 had spoiler bolts open up, which tells me they were leaking air out from underneath the car, into the trunk. The air has to go somewhere, and they were getting it out through the spoiler bolts.

The goal for all four cars was the same, reducing the drag of the car by getting air out from underneath it. How much did it reduce the drag? I can’t say for sure, but these crews knew how much it reduced the drag in the wind tunnel. During testing at Daytona in January, they may have tried the configuration to see how much faster they were on the stopwatch.

The severity of the penalties was different because the infractions on the No. 9 and the No. 17 were found after qualifying, which is why their times were disallowed. Their crew chiefs received $50,000 and 50-point fines plus a four-week suspension. The No. 10 and the No. 19 only received $25,000 fines, 25-point deductions and two-week suspensions, but their time stood because their infractions were caught before qualifying, which means they didn’t qualify with those systems in place.

These teams can appeal. Francis and Ray Evernham won’t appeal because the No. 9 is already set at Daytona. These teams are so deep that it’s not the end of the world to lose a crew chief. If Francis and Robbie Reiser at Roush Racing had appealed their suspensions, they could have stayed on top of the pit box at Daytona. But if the National Stock Car Racing Commission upholds the four weeks after Daytona, Francis and Reiser would miss the fifth race, which is the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol.

With each penalty, NASCAR tries to set a precedent, especially at the beginning of the season and at a place where the equipment is so delicate. I hate to see any crew chief start the season on the bench, but they stepped across the line.

Now, onto the bigger subject: Michael Waltrip Racing.

Even a small change can make a big difference at a restrictor plate race. Not locked into the top 35 in points, this team had to qualify on time or race its way into the Daytona 500. NASCAR has a lot of rules and regulations, but they have zero tolerance for violations in three sacred areas: tires, tampering with fuel and big, cubic-inch engines.

yawn big and go to bed. I really did try to think of something to write about, but I’m too sleepy.

Hope it is everything you hope it will be

Oh this is great…Djournal V-day article

MARTY RUSSELL: Is Valentine’s Day all heart or just hype?

2/14/2007 12:36:38 AM
Daily Journal

To borrow a sentiment usually associated with another holiday, bah humbug!

As you might have guessed, I’m one of those anti-Valentine’s Day people. If you really love someone, isn’t that something you should express through words and actions almost daily instead of waiting for one day in February to do it?

But we’ve allowed ourselves to be sucked in by corporate America, which has convinced us that, if we don’t spend the equivalent of a barrel of oil on a dozen roses today, we’re somehow defective, unromantic and probably a terrorist.

And so we all buy into the guilt trip that is Valentine’s Day and corporate America gets to gouge us in mid-winter when nothing else is selling except snow shovels and warm gloves. And all in the name of romance on a day set aside originally to honor a decapitated priest.

We are gullible but it’s been cleverly ingrained in us since childhood, when we were instructed in elementary school that if we brought Valentine’s cards for one classmate, we had to bring one for all of them - presumably so no one would feel unloved, especially the card makers.

A lot has changed over the years. No longer are we limited to just the simple, “Be My Valentine” card. Nowadays you can find a Valentine’s card for just about any person or situation from cards for your ex to cards for your dog. Not only that, but the greetings are getting more and more timely and up to date.

Take this Valentine’s Day greeting on a card intended for one astronaut to give to another:

“Rose are red, violence is new,

I’d drive 900 miles for you.

Dressed in a diaper and a disguise,

I’ll find that witch and spray Mace in her eyes.”

Or how about this one intended to be given by one head of state to another:

“Mushroom clouds are red, but I’m turning blue,

That’s why I have a proposal for you.

Send us fuel oil and we’ll stop building nukes,

Then at least we’ll be warm Korean kooks.”

And even the corporate moguls who push Valentine’s Day on us feel inclined to get into the holiday spirit. Consider this greeting intended from one corporate raider to a media icon:

“Rosie, you’re dead, you can take that to the bank,

Your big-mouthed show is starting to tank.

I would suggest that you just retire,

But instead I’ll buy your show so I can say, You’re fired!’ ”

So from one Valentine’s Scrooge to all you others out there, here’s a Valentine’s Day greeting just for you:

“Roses are red and cost a lot of money,

Are they necessary to show I love you, honey?

Are flowers the key to getting you into bed,

Or wouldn’t you rather have a snow shovel instead?”

Marty Russell writes a Wednesday column for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 227 Lester Hall, University MS 38677 or by e-mail at marusse1@olemiss.edu

OK, so I wasn’t going to do it. I started this school year cutting back. It’s my last year here right? We have a tremendous amount to do. So I turned mock trial over to two others- smiling b/c it took two to replace wonderful me. Turns out one had a family conflict and was unable to help. Well since it was a newbie left with the responsibility I checked in frequently and gave direction on what needed to be done when. Finally, I gave in and said I would help. I would stay when I could and help with the logistical stuff. Yes…that’s how it always starts hmm?

This team has had difficulty after difficulty. First is my fault. I left my veterans in the hands of two newbies, one of which would drop. With the change in coaching several of my veterans decided they would pursue other activities. That’s fine, their heart probably wasn’t in it anyway. Newbie got the team set and started scheduling practices. Now, if you have ever experienced an organized high school activity such as this you know that students are not always reliable. After MANY missed practices certain members were replaced. Parts were redistributed and adjustments made. The max on a team is 8 and the minimum is 6. The goal was to keep the team at 8 since one of the veteran members could not compete if the team advanced to state level competition. Because of the rules you have to compete at state with the same individuals you used at regional, no subs. As we get closer to date there are still attendance issues, but they are worked out. Last week two backups were chosen, just in case. The member that was having the most severe attendance issue quit Monday. The two back ups developed the flu and were unable to step into a role. Another was found, giving us 7 members. No problem, we’ll manage. One of our veteran attorneys came down with the flu on Wednesday. OK, here is a serious issue. Maybe she can get well enough to go Saturday. Thursday night practice she could not make, but it wasn’t a big deal because she was a really strong student attorney and would be OK. Friday…no go. She was confined to bed and told that unless the fever broke by Saturday morning there was no chance. We can still go with 6 kids. No problem. If by some chance they do well enough to advance we can still advance because this is a the student that can’t compete at state. We take one of our witnesses that didn’t have a roll on the prosecution side and give her all of the attorney information and say learn it. We take our newfound sub and do the same for him, only on the defense side. We ran it with the subs, just in case our veteran couldn’t make it…there was little hope, but we still clung to it. Saturday morning, our veteran is feeling much better…but is forced to stay home to battle a mild fever and no voice. We are off to compete with 6 people. One has been a member of the team since Wednesday, a senior with theater experience and a quick wit. The other is a freshman girl who has been with the team since day 1, but has the confidence of a freshman girl.

I left the house this morning dreading what was to come. Some of these guys had worked so hard and it was their last year to be able to compete. My hope was that they would just be able to get through it without falling apart.

What was to come was absolutely amazing. They were able to compete, and compete on par with the other teams present. They made their openings, directed/crossed their witness, performed as the witness, made/argued objections, and delivered their closings as if they had been together for weeks. Both matches were very close. I still would not allow myself to believe they had advanced. Late afternoon we would receive the results of the days performance.

We’re STATE bound! Unbelievable…

…and I am again a mock trial coach. I really tried to stay behind the scenes. I just couldn’t. Each day I attended after school practices for as long as I could. I offered suggestions, gave direction on things that needed to be worked on, but my heart wasn’t in it. I went to practice Friday evening out of obligation. I was just going to listen and offer suggestions. It didn’t take long until I was drawn in to demonstrating how the questions should flow and helping with delivery and wording. My freshman girl who was having to take on responsibility that she didn’t sign up for was looking for support and guidance. Well, when I chose to teach that is what I signed up for.

I’m very proud of my kids. They really stepped up to the pressure. Now it’s time to work for a good showing at state competition. Three weeks…

Today, seeing their delight at success, I remembered the significance of teaching and sponsoring an extracurricular activity. The frustration is great. Just like teaching in your own classroom. The rewards are few. Again, just like teaching. There is joy in their delight.

Check out the IM speak in the classroom post over at Learn Me Good

sad but true

Found an IP/Host ban plug-in for WordPress…what a great tool! Granted there are all kinds of ways around using your IP/host but still. This guy at GaMerZ has a lot of very useful plugins. I tried one using the poll feature, I want to add it to Djembe’s site, but so far I am not successful in getting it to work. I think it is my error and not the plugin.

I still have to rave on the Performancing add-on for FireFox…really handy tool.

Adios now…btw, check out the Would you do it? post and let me know if you would or not…

Man Gets 2nd Chance at Space Ride

He won the prize in ‘04 but couldn’t afford the $25 000 taxes it would require so he gave it up.  Benson Space Co. decided to help him fulfill his dream of going to infinity and beyond by offering him a consulting position.  He will be a test passenger for the late 2008 space tourist venture. 

Several are attempting to develop the space tour industry.  The cost for the trip is between two and three hundred thousand, and there is even a chance to sit in the co-pilot seat. 

I just cannot imagine going on this adventure, even if I had the money to put to it.  If something goes wrong your just dead…or worse, lost in space.  I’m all about an adventure, but I think this is just a little too much right now.  Oh but how cool would it be to look back on Earth and to see the vastness of space?!?!  OK, so I could probably talk myself into doing it, but still.  I certainly hope there is an intensive and extensive training program for the space tourists.  I just don’t think watching Space Camp would be enough…or even attending space camp.  (That is a goal btw, and there are space camp programs for AL teachers…WOOHOO!)

So…lurkers, would you do it?

powered by performancing firefox

I have to sing a praise to Zappos.com. I found them through shopzilla when I was searching for the best deal on Froggy’s Heely’s. Zappos was the cheapest and I am SO impressed with them. No tax, I’m sure it is worked in to the price listed, but is STILL cheaper than anywhere else. Shipping was free, AND a free upgrade to overnight shipping…AND free shipping if a return is necessary. I ordered Froggy’s Heely’s on a Thursday and they came the very next day. Tweety decided she wanted to spend her allowance on a pair of Heely’s so I ordered hers Sunday and they came today. There’s only one store that sells them here and it was going to cost $70 for a black pair that wasn’t what the girls wanted. Ordering online they got what they wanted at a cheaper price, and with minimum wait. I’ll be using this site more often.

Here are the shoes they ordered:

Because she has had hers for a few days Froggy has it down. I guess we will be making a shopping trip this evening so Tweety can push the buggy and learn to use hers. What? It’s the best way

Zappos, great site.

I haven’t posted a meme in a while so I took this one from Tense Teacher
. Here goes…

1. How old will you be in five years?
35

2. Whom did you spend at least two hours with today?
The girls

3. How tall are you?
Not very - 5 foot 1…and a 1/2 don’t forget the 1/2 I need all I can claim!

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six months?
look forward to??? I’m really starting to stress, but summer and moving.

5. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
We don’t do movies too much…something with the girls…um…it was funny…it wasn’t Happy Feet…must not have been too awesome b/c I don’t remember…OH yes! It was good Night at the Museum. Wow, that was almost painful.

6. Who was the last person you called?
That cool guy I married, Djembe

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Our oldest daughter

8. Who was the last text message you received from?
Brad…I think

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Our oldest daughter

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Text

11. What were you doing at 12 A.M. last night/this morning?
sleeping soundly

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
They divorced when I was 2…and I agree with Tense on this one.

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
Um…this could be harder than the movie question. Shoot, not going to waste brain power on this one…over a year and it could be two.

14. What color are your eyes?
blue

15. What time did you get up today?
Djembe came in with a cup of coffee about 6:15.

16. What are you wearing right now?
Haven’t changed since getting home from the gym…workout pants and a sweat shirt.

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Doesn’t matter as long as it is instrumental

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
The beach…I’m all about the sand and sunsets.

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
Work during state testing weeks

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
New Zealand

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
teaching internationally

22. Do you tan or burn?
Tan

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
We won’t go there.

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
Reading the responses of Tense

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
too many…3

26. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Yes. 3 desktops if you count lil bits older model and a laptop

27. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
I have kids, what do you think. Wait…bad answer. With, never know when a little person will curl up beside you.

28. What color are your sheets?
Light beige

29. How many pillows do you sleep with?
When Djembe is with me? Just one, but more if you want to count him as the human pillow. When he isn’t with me, as many as I can. I make a nest and curl up in the middle.

30. What is your favorite season?
Autumn, which is only about 2 weeks long (on average) here in Mississippi. (Agreeing with Tense here.)

31. What do you like about autumn?
Cool mornings and nights, warm days, lots of colors (same again)

32. What do you like about winter?
Winter is a joke in MS.

33. What do you like about the summer?
No school and great beach weather.

34. What do you like about spring?
Everything is in bloom. Spring break. Warming up from the excuse of winter that we have.

35. How many states have you lived in?
Just two.

36. What cities/towns have you lived in?
Several.

37. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
Bare feet, but socks if it is really cold.

38. Are you a social person?
Hardly. I deal with lots of people throughout any given day, so once I leave work, I want to veg in my house. (Again with the same answer as Tense.) But I will continue with my first thought…

HAHA. uh, yeah. NOPE. I prefer to sit back and take everything in and would prefer not to be the center of attention. Thanks anyway.

39. What was the last thing you ate?
spaghetti

40. What is your favorite ice cream?
Vanilla, yes plain, I know.

41. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
Grape, but it has to mixed with the PB

42. Do you like Chinese food?
Absolutely.

43. Do you like coffee?
Oh yes!

44. How many glasses of water per day do you drink on average?
1-4 bottles.

45. What do you drink in the morning?
Coffee

46. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
Yes but if given the opportunity I will sleep diagonally.

Have a great week!

We celebrated Froggy’s 10th birthday this weekend. I think it was a hit for her…she certainly seemed like she had a good time. She was thrilled that her Heely’s came in and absolutely ecstatic when she realized she had enough money to buy a Nintendo DS Lite.

To entertain the kids I purchased foam door hangers from Dollar Tree and the foam sticky things too. They each decorated a hanger and a bag for their other goodies. This was apparently a hit because it kept the busy and smiling for a good thirty minutes. Instead of having cake and ice cream cups, I bought a layered cake that had ice cream in the middle. Yummy! The kids played outside for the rest of the time so the house remained clean! WOOHOO!

The topper for our day? Djembe took me out for a belated date night. Really cool musician guy at our local place with the jazz guys. He was playing a Chapman stick…

Looks like this:

Pretty cool and it was a great way to relax after a long day of family fun.

Here are a few picks of the birthday girl: